Title: Owner, Juliet Mae, maker of The Occasional Gourmet a line of fine spices and herbs sold in recipe-friendly portions in stay-fresh packets
Hometown: New York, now San Francisco
1. How do New Yorkers compare to San Franciscans?
New Yorkers are specialists. But people here are interested in more things, and open to new ideas, more well-rounded. People out here are creative. I'm not sure I could have started this business in New York.
2. How did you come up with the idea for The Occasional Gourmet?
I was sitting in the kitchen one day looking at tea bags and I thought if people could buy individually foil wrapped tea bags, why not spices?
For coming up with blends, I'll go out to eat and think about how someone prepared food or read cookbooks, figure out how another culture combines flavors. I like creating blends because they're like culinary play dough. There are no limits to what you can do with them.
3. What are some great recipe tips from your customers?
One customer shared how she used a tagine blend with white beans, sausage and tomato sauce to create a kind of Mediterranean cassoulet. Another idea is to use herbs de Provence with a little white wine, chicken broth and some shallot or garlic to poach fish in the oven.